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What to Buy in Florence, Italy: 10 Unique Souvenir Ideas

What to Buy in Florence, Italy - Souvenirs and Gifts

If you’re considering what to buy in Florence, Italy, these are the most unique souvenirs for all price points and budgets!

I lived in Florence as a teenager, and now return to this great city every chance I get. These are some of my favorite, less-well-known souvenir ideas for family and friends, or for yourself!

All of the following mementos will serve as meaningful reminders of your special trip to Florence, Italy:

What is Good to Buy in Florence - Santa Maria Novella perfume

Perfume or Cologne from Officina Profumo – Santa Maria Novella

Official Website
Open in Google Maps: Via della Scala, 16, 50123 Firenze FI, Italy
Cost: Perfumes range from €25 to €125.

Smell is one of the strongest triggers of memory, so what better souvenir in Florence, Italy than a perfume or cologne?

This iconic pharmacy and perfumery has roots in Florence stretching all the way back to 1221 when Dominican friars first established a garden inside the Santa Maria Novella convent near the train station.

In this garden, the friars grew herbs and flowers to make wellness tinctures and other herbal remedies.

Over the last 800 years, Officina Profumo – Santa Maria Novella has evolved and grown to include not just perfumes, but also cosmetics, lotions, candles and even hair care products.

Best Souvenirs Florence Italy - Perfume and Cologne

While Officina Profumo’s products can be bought online and shipped globally, there’s nothing like visiting the original pharmacy located on Via Della Scala. Only here can you see the ornate wood carvings and intricate murals that make the original Officina Profumo store an excellent place to purchase a souvenir for yourself or for loved ones.

Personally, I own and highly recommend the “Cinquanta” perfume. It’s a lovely, feminine fragrance that reminds me of Chanel No. 5 or other more high-end scents. “Lavanda” or lavender is also exceptional.

A red Fotoautomatica booth in Florence, Italy

Fotoautomatica Pictures – Cheap Florence Souvenir

Official Website
Open in Google Maps: Via del Proconsolo, 19r, 50122 Firenze FI, Italy
Cost: 4 photos for €2

The cheapest souvenir in Florence yet truly one of the best! Florence’s Fotoautomatica booths cost only €2, but capture fun memories and offer a small keepsake that will last a lifetime.

Insert your coins, take a seat and strike a pose! These beautifully-restored photo booths from the 1950s develop images the old-fashioned way. A robotic arm dunks the negatives through a series of chemicals that bring the photo to life.

Fotoautomatica in Florence - cheap souvenirs
My souvenir from the Fotoautomatic in Florence.

After a short four-minute wait for the negatives to finish processing—poof! Your antique photo booth pictures are dropped in the slot for you to admire with your friends. Doesn’t get easier than that!

Inside La Via del Te - Tea Shop - Best Souvenirs Florence
Image courtesy: La Via del Tè

La Via del Tè Loose Leaf Tea and Tea Sets

Official Website
Open in Google Maps: Via Santo Spirito, 11, 50125 Firenze FI, Italy
Cost: Most teas range from €4 to €20

For all the tea lovers out there (myself included), I highly recommend stopping by La Via del Tè for an excellent souvenir and your newest addiction.

La Via del Tè offers gourmet loose leaf tea, gift sets and elegant cotton tea bags with every possible flavor combination. From the traditional English breakfast tea to their herbal and fruity mango, peach and ginger infusion—you really can’t go wrong.

La Via del Te - Tea Shop - Best Souvenirs Florence

This family-owned business dates back to 1961 when Aldredo Carrai first began importing tea from Sri Lanka to Italy. The brand has evolved over the decades and now Carrai’s grandchildren manage operations in Florence, Turin and Milan.

In addition to their global offerings, La Via del Tè has a range of tea grown and harvested exclusively in Northern Italy in the Val d’Ossola region near the border of Switzerland.

Loretta Caponi shop in Florence - Best Souvenirs
Image courtesy: Sandro Micahelles

Linens from Loretta Caponi

Official Website
Open in Google Maps: Via delle Belle Donne, 28/r, 50123 Firenze FI, Italy
Cost: Handmade linens range from €140 to €1,800

If you’re considering what to buy in Florence, Italy, hand-sewn linens with one-of-a-kind designs from Loretta Caponi make for an excellent, high-end souvenir for those with some wiggle room in their budget.

The iconic Loretta Caponi brand dates back to 1924, when little Loretta was born in Fiesole—a small town just outside of Florence. What started as her passion project eventually blossomed into a full-blown embroidery business still thriving 100 years later.

Custom Loretta Caponi linens have been used by the likes of the British royal family, the Kennedys and the Rockefellers.

This family-owned and operated brand now offers clothing for men, women and children, in addition to their traditional tableware and bed linens.

How much caffeine in pocket coffee

Pocket Coffee Espresso – What to Buy in Florence, Italy

Where to find: Any Italian grocery store, tabacchi or gas station
Cost: €2 to €4

Any true Italian will rave about how much they love their Pocket Coffees. These sweetened, espresso-filled chocolate candies provide a cheap and convenient caffeine fix on the go.

Pocket Coffee espresso candies make the perfect affordable souvenir for friends and family back home.

Scuola del Cuoio entrance behind Santa Croce church
The entrance to the Scuola del Cuoio in Florence, Italy.

Leather Goods from Scuola del Cuoio

Official Website
Open in Google Maps: Via di S. Giuseppe, 5/R, 50122 Firenze FI, Italy
Cost: €12 to €600

Not many people know about the Scuola del Cuoio or leather school tucked behind Santa Croce church in Florence.

This hidden gem has been educating and training students on the leather trade since the 1940s.

Here students learn about the different kinds of leather, how to cut and stitch leather by hand and how to craft handbags, coats and even briefcases out of the natural material.

Best Leather Products in Florence
The large gift shop at the Italian leather school.

The Scuola del Cuoio store offers a wide selection of the finest leather goods all produced on-site by students with the highest quality leather.

Want something personalized? No problem! The artisans take custom orders and even offer 22 carat gold embossing if you’d like to stamp your initials on your new purchase.

A leather craftsman

Several royal families, American presidents and countless distinguished celebrities like Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn and Robert Downey Jr. have visited the leather school, all looking for the perfect Florence souvenir.

Giunti Odeon in Firenze, Florence, Italy
The newly-renovated Giunti Odeon Library and Cinema.

Book from Giunti Odeon

Official Website
Open in Google Maps: Piazza degli Strozzi, 50123 Firenze FI, Italy
Cost: €5 to €50

One of my favorite places in Florence is the newly renovated Giunti Odeon Library and Cinema. This repurposed theater has it all—a movie screen, a stage, a large library, stadium-style seating for people watching, a café and even a wine window.

To miss Giunti is to miss Florence’s new cultural era.

Giunti Odeon - Good Souvenirs from Florence
The exterior of the Giunti Odeon Cinema and Library.

The beauty of the old cinema provides the perfect setting for browsing book titles, working on your laptop or sipping a cappuccino.

Peruse your way over to the English section (or whatever language you prefer!) and grab a new book to take home as a souvenir from Florence, Italy. Trust me, you won’t regret it.

Signum gift shop in Florence

Handcrafted Stationery and Postcards from Signum Florence

Official Website
Open in Google Maps: Borgo dei Greci, 40-red, 50122 Firenze FI, Italy
Cost: €8 to €50

If you’re considering what to buy in Florence, Italy, Signum is the answer.

This unique shop has handcrafted stationery, leather-bound journals, ornate wrapping papers, calligraphic pens, vintage postcards and even wax melts with personalized stamps.

Signum Stationery - Things to Buy in Florence

Walking into Signum feels like discovering a place you can only find in your dreams.

It’s unique, charming, warm and welcoming all at once—a massive upgrade from the cheap souvenir shops you’ll come across in the main tourist areas.

These artisanal products make the perfect affordable souvenir for yourself or loved ones.

Galleria Romanelli in Florence, Italy
Image courtesy: Galleria Romanelli

Sculpture from Galleria Romanelli – Florence Gift Idea

Official Website
Open in Google Maps: Borgo S. Frediano, 70, 50124 Firenze FI, Italy
Cost: €15+

A handcrafted sculpture makes an excellent souvenir if you’re considering what to buy in Florence.

Galleria Romanelli represents the culmination of five generations of Florentine sculptors who’ve honed their craft and made immeasurable artistic contributions to the city.

Galleria Romanelli - What is Good to Buy in Florence, Italy
Image courtesy: Galleria Romanelli

The art gallery on Borgo San Frediano in Florence’s Oltrarno region serves as a shop, sculpture studio and event venue.

Galleria Romanelli offers hand-sculpted items for sale at all price points, with rates starting at just €15 for small figurines, up to €32,000 for incredibly large and complex marble reliefs.

Woman with tote bag

Wine Windows in Florence Tote Bag

Visit My Shop
Cost: $24.95 + shipping

Florence’s wine windows are an incredibly unique element of this great city’s history. Commemorate your visit to the buchette del vino with my organic cotton tote bag—an excellent memento to use in your day-to-day life back at home.

My husband and I use our wine window tote bag on weekly grocery runs, on road trips and occasionally when going to the gym. It’s a fun reminder of our special trips to the city we both love!

Florence, Italy souvenirs

Best Souvenirs in Florence, Italy

If you’re considering what to buy in Florence, Italy, these are ten of my favorite souvenirs to buy for myself or bring home to loved ones.

Save and bookmark this page to remember the best things to buy on your next trip to Florence!

Best Things to Buy in Florence, Italy Collage

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